NEW YORK– U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on India’s reaction to President Donald Trump’s threat to impose punitive tariffs over its purchases of Russian oil.
Asked Tuesday about remarks by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Bruce said, “I will not characterize or remark on another nation’s comments about what they will or will not do,” adding with a touch of irony, “I can barely do that here.”
However, she did criticize India’s continued oil trade with Russia, saying, “Trump is the guiding hand, and when it comes to what Russia is doing — and those nations that are facilitating this war on Ukraine — it will be up to President Trump how to respond.”
Her comments followed Trump’s warning that he would impose a heavy tariff on India within 24 hours for buying Russian oil and reselling products refined from it. This would be in addition to the 25 percent tariff he announced on Indian goods last Friday.
“They are buying Russian oil and fueling the Russian war machine,” Trump alleged.
On Monday, Jaishankar indirectly pushed back against the threat, saying, “We live in complicated and uncertain times. Our collective desire is to see a fair and representative global order, not one dominated by a few.”
India’s External Affairs Ministry said the country “will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.” It also criticized what it called double standards in singling out India, noting that the European Union’s trade with Russia totaled $67.5 billion, while the U.S. continued importing uranium, palladium, fertilizers, and other chemicals from Moscow.
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, also warned against targeting New Delhi. “India should not be buying oil from Russia,” she wrote on X. “But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause. Don’t give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India.”
Explaining the rationale for so-called secondary tariffs, Bruce said Trump has “many tools in his tool chest” to address global conflicts and would continue using them. “As a businessman, he likes to use the tools that can make a difference with countries we usually… It is about the economy. And that’s a very specific approach — something every country can understand,” she said. (Source: IANS)
